April 26, 2005

Rick Braun, Dave Koz and Gerald Albright on Jonathan Butler CD

Jonathan Butler's debut for Rendezvous Entertainment will be released on May 17.

Guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Butler has called on trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonists Dave Koz and Gerald Albright for his upcoming album called, simply enough, Jonathan. The album is Butler’s first for the Rendezvous Entertainment label, which Koz co-founded, and also features Dave Dyson on bass, Greg Wachter on keyboards, Eric Valentine on drums and David Diggs with string arrangements.

The album marks a return to Butler’s smooth jazz roots, as there are nine instrumental songs and two vocal tracks, “Baby Love” and the first single, a cover of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” featuring blues guitarist Jonny Lang on electric guitar. Instrumental songs, which feature Jonathan’s acoustic guitar, include “Rio,” “10 Degrees South,” “Sweet Island Love” and “Sprit Of Our Nation.”